Breaking: The Pilot Flying the Missoni Plane Did Not Have Proper Credentials

While the search for Vittorio Missoni, his wife, and the other passengers on the plane that went missing off the coast of Venezuela on January 4 continues, ELLE.com has learned via the Gazzetta del Sud that the pilot flying the plane did not have the credentials to fly the aircraft, according to the Italian Agency for Air Safety (ANSV). It has been reported that the 72-year-old pilot Germán Marchan's psycho-physical fitness papers had expired on November 30 and had not been renewed. According to La Repubblica via The Cut, his age was also a concern, but one of his colleagues, Piergiorgio Serloni, previously told La Stampa that Marchan is "one of the most expert and respected pilots in Los Roques."

ANSV also revealed that the company running the plane did not hold a proper certificate to act as an air operator. This information has been given to the Venezuelan authorities, and ANSV added that it "[does] not at the moment represent causal factors directly related to the dynamics of the event."

La Repubblica has more details about the exact timing of the incident. The plane took off from Los Roques at 11:32 a.m., and it was headed for Simón Bolívar Airport in Maiquetia, Caracas. At 11:39 a.m., Marchan or his co-pilot reported the plane's position was ten nautical miles from the island of Gran Roque at 5,000 feet above sea level. Further contact was not made. The plane then ascended about 5,400 feet, moving 13.2 nautical miles from Gran Roque before it lost altitude and speed, and eventually went off the radar.

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